More than 340 children and young people across Cardiff will benefit from new specialist school places following the successful completion of the first phase of Cardiff Council’s programme to expand Additional Learning Needs (ALN) provision.
Through a wide-ranging programme of refurbishment works, new facilities and school improvements at 14 schools across the city, an additional 342 specialist places have been created. This includes 196 places in special schools and 146 places in Specialist Resource Bases (SRBs). A further 120 places are planned as the next stages of the programme are delivered.
This important milestone marks a significant step forward in increasing capacity, improving inclusion and ensuring more learners can access the support they need in their local communities.
Backed by an investment of approximately £40 million, the completion of the programme will help to meet growing demand for specialist education provision while supporting Cardiff's commitment to creating an inclusive education system where every learner can thrive.
The expansion has increased specialist provision for children and young people with Autism and Social Communication Needs (ASC), Complex Learning Needs (CLN) and Emotional Health and Wellbeing (EHWB) needs.
As part of the first phase, Specialist Resource Bases are being refurbished, improved or expanded at:
Pencaerau Primary School
Peter Lea Primary School
Adamsdown Primary School
Baden Powell Primary School
Radnor Primary School
Hywel Dda Primary School
Ysgol Glan Morfa
Fairwater Primary School
Bryn Hafod Primary School
Ysgol Gymraeg Coed y Gof
Additional specialist places have also been created through improvements and investment at several of Cardiff's special schools.
The Council’s ambitious investment programme will continue over the coming months, with further expansion of specialist education provision planned across the city. Additional capacity will be created at Tŷ Gwyn Special School through the use of the former Riverbank and Woodlands High School buildings in Caerau, following the schools’ successful relocation to the new Fairwater Community Campus. Together, Riverbank and Woodlands – part of the Western Learning Federation - have increased specialist provision by 142 places, bringing the total capacity across both schools to 352 places in high-quality, purpose-built learning environments designed to support children's individual needs.
Greenhill Special School will also benefit from expanded facilities through the use of parts of the former Court School site. Both projects will involve significant refurbishment and investment to transform the former school buildings into high-quality, modern and fit-for-purpose learning environments. These developments will help ensure that more children and young people with additional learning needs can access excellent specialist education and support in facilities designed to meet their needs.
The expansion programme was announced in December 2025 as part of Cardiff Council's wider Education Inclusion Strategy and responds to increasing demand for specialist school places across the city.
In addition to the Phase 1 programme, last month Western Learning Federation opened brand new schools for Riverbank School and Woodlands High School, located at the state-of-the-art Fairwater Community Campus. The largest project delivered through Cardiff Council and Welsh Government's Sustainable Communities for Learning programme, the development significantly increases specialist provision providing more than 350 places to help meet growing demand for ALN support across the city.
Demand for specialist provision has grown for a number of reasons, including improved survival rates for children with significant disabilities, increased identification of additional learning needs and a rise in emotional health and wellbeing challenges among children and young people.
Cabinet Member for Education, Employment and Skills, Cllr Sarah Merry, said:
"We want every child and young person in Cardiff to have access to the support they need to thrive and achieve their full potential.
"The completion of this first phase represents a major investment in inclusive education and will provide hundreds more specialist places for learners across the city. Most importantly, these additional places will help more children access the right support closer to home, reducing travel times for families and allowing more learners to remain connected to their local communities, friends and support networks.
"While there is still more work to do, this is a significant step forward in delivering our vision for an equitable and inclusive education system that meets the needs of all learners."
The programme forms part of Cardiff Council's ongoing commitment to modernising specialist education provision and ensuring sufficient specialist places are available to meet both current and future demand across the city.
